Umpire Bruce Oxenford has officially decided to end his 15-year career in the international cricket scene.
Australian umpire Bruce Oxenford has announced that he will be retiring in April to end his 15-year international career. So far, he has officiated 179 international matches, his last being India’s win against Australia in Brisbane. Still, he will continue to umpire in domestic Australian matches.
Oxenford is known for being one of the 16 international umpires who officiated in more than 50 Test matches. Aside from him, other Australian umpires included on the list are Daryl Harper, Darell Hair, Simon Taufel, Rod Tucker, and Steve Davies.
Talking about his career, the 60-year-old umpire said, ‘I look back with pride at my international career as an umpire. It is still hard to believe that I officiated in close to 200 international matches. Such a long career was not really something that I had hoped for before commencing on this journey’.
‘I would like to thank the International Cricket Council, Cricket Australia and all my colleagues in the ICC Elite and International panels for their support and encouragement over the years. I had a wonderful time as a match official and will miss the camaraderie that comes with being a part of such a professional group. I shall particularly miss seeing and interacting with the magnificent people who are part of the support structure of our game around the world’, he added.
Oxenford had his umpiring debut for T20Is in 2006 in a match between Australia and South Africa. Then, he had his ODI debut in 2008 in a match between India and Sri Lanka. By 2010, he had his Test debut in Pallekele in a match between Sri Lanka and West Indies.
After having officiated as many as 62 Test matches, Oxenford was also a part of the ICC’s international panel of umpires from 2007 to 2008. By 2012, he was promoted to the Elite Panel. There, he pioneered the use of arm shields as protection for umpires. To learn more about how cricket is played and facilitated, visit Betwala.
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